50 people from NGOs, academia and law firms gathered at The Foundry in London on Wednesday 13th February for CORE’s annual partners’ meeting. Below is a brief summary of the very wide-ranging expert presentations given on the day.

The second interim report by the Modern Slavery Act Independent Review makes a series of far-reaching recommendations to remedy the shortcomings of the Transparency in Supply Chains (TISC) clause (section 54), echoing CORE’s submission.

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 In January 2019, a group of Zambian farmers brought their fight for justice to the UK Supreme Court, in a case with far-reaching implications for multinational companies. Louise Eldridge explains the background of the case in a blog originally published by Africa is a Country.

Farmer with his livestock, Zambia. Image credit Felix Clay/Duckrabbit, 2012 via WorldFish Flickr (CC).

A new report published today by the Alliance for Corporate Transparency Project – of which CORE is a member – shows that companies in the UK and across Europe are failing to report meaningful information about their impacts on society and the environment.

Carlos Lopez, Senior Legal Adviser at the International Commission of Jurists, and Marilyn Croser, Director of CORE, explore the implications of the interlocutory appeal by the company Vedanta Resources and its Zambian subsidiary KCM to the UK Supreme Court. The company is challenging a Court of Appeal decision to uphold jurisdiction of UK courts in the case and allow the plaintiffs, some 1800 Zambian villagers to pursue their case against both companies in the United Kingdom.

CORE and the ICJ have been granted permission to intervene in an appeal before the United Kingdom Supreme Court (Vedanta Resources PLC and another v. Lungowe and others).

Tea pickers in Assam. Credit: Traidcraft Exchange / HELM Studio

CORE Coalition, Accountability Counsel, Nazdeek, and other civil society organisations concerned about labour exploitation on Assam tea plantations are writing to 12 major British tea brands and retailers that source tea from Assam, urging them to use their purchasing power to help break the cycle of poverty wages.

CORE Policy and Communications Officer, Louise Eldridge, attended the 2018 UN Forum for Business and Human Rights in Geneva. Here are some impressions from a Forum ‘newbie’.

Last week, CORE Coalition along with our partner organisations Amnesty International UK and RAID were interviewed as part of the peer review of the UK’s National Contact Point (NCP).

The protection of human rights and the environment from corporate abuse is a serious challenge in the 21st century. But will redefining the “purpose” of corporations ensure that their actions align with the interest of people and planet?